Page 24 of Unwrapped

“Henry and I talk about once a week. He lives in Newport with his wife and daughter. I talk to my mom almost every day. She’s remarried and lives in Providence now.” She breathes against me, seemingly relieved at my words.

“How come you don’t go by Jones?”

“I was angry with him. As soon as I was old enough, I took my mother’s maiden name. And Dustin Jones was his pen name. His real name was Nicolai Lupinski. I really wanted nothing to do with him for a long time, but I’m glad we had some years together.”

“Sounds like you and your mom are close.”

“Yeah. She’s going to love you, by the way.”

She looks away, but then I pull her chin so she can look at me again.

“Your dad had all those bestsellers.” I know what she’s getting at.

“Yes, and they made movies out of a bunch of them. One of his series is a television show right now.”

“Okay,” she says, elongating the word

“Okay, what, pretty girl?”

“Tell me about your last relationship,” she says, changing the subject. She slips out of my arms and buckles herself in her seat. Resigned, I reverse the car out of the parking spot and make my way onto the main street.

“Paige and I were together for a couple of years. My best friend and his fiancée introduced us, and she ended up working for me. We were together for three years and were planning a life together. Two months after burying my dad, I find out she was stealing from me and my company. It was one of the lowest points of my life. I ended things, sold the company, moved back east, and met this pretty girl.”

She’s silent for a while. When I get to a red light, I stop the car and look at her.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. To lose your father and the woman you love all around the same time sounds awful.”

The last thing I fucking want is to talk about Paige. That relationship is as dead as my father. It’s buried and needs to stay there.

“I’m okay. I made peace with my dad, and we had almost a decade together. Paige was a mistake and a nonfactor. What’s really bothering you? Let’s get it out so we can get on with our day.” Just as I’m running my fingers through her hair, the light turns green and I go through the intersection.

“So, you and your brother split the royalties from your father’s work?”

“We do.”

“Honestly, Nick, I feel blindsided. You’re a gazillionaire, who’s much older than I am. I’m still in college, and you have a career. You’ve been around long enough to own and sell a business. I drive an eleven-year-old car and live in my parent’s basement, and I just told you how much I make. I bet Paige was beautiful and sophisticated. I feel like we’re worlds apart in everything. We can never be equal in this relationship.”

I lay my hand on her thigh and rub her leg as I drive.

“Oh, baby, I was blindsided too. I met you and I fell hard. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I could not keep my eyes off you even for a second, and we already have all these obstacles. Your mom, your age, my lack of melanin.” I throw the last part out to get a laugh, and it works. She punches my arm and blushes at the reminder.

“Most women would be happy to learn their boyfriend is rich,” I repeat.

“You’re my boyfriend now?”

“Yup.” I stop at another red light and look at her. She smiles and visibly relaxes. She reaches for my hand and laces her fingers with mine. “I like you, Miranda. That’s it. This is our relationship, and we’re equals if we say we are. We get to define who we are.”

“I like you too.”

“Then let’s focus on that. Let’s forget the obstacles and all the reasons why we shouldn’t be together and just be together.”

“Okay.” She’s quiet as I drive, then she turns to look at me. “Does that mean I can go crazy with the Christmas decorations? I have all these ideas, and your place is a clean slate.”

“My credit card has no limit. Whatever we can’t find at the store, we’ll order online tonight.” She bounces in her seat. I’m annoyed when she pulls her hand away from mine, but I laugh when she rubs them together in anticipation.

“Does that mean what I think it means? Please say that it does.” She’s looking at me, her bottom lip between her teeth and eyes wide as she waits for me to respond.

“What do you think it means?” I ask, completely confused.

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